Saturday, May 28, 2011

Pineland Farms 50-Mile Eve Thoughts

Kate and I spent the morning at Pineland Farms, where the 10k, Canicross, 5k, 5k barefoot races were happening today. We were shooting footage of the events and gathering interviews, and along with footage shot by my homie James and his daughter I plan on producing at least a few videos for the race directors to help them promote their event.

It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed running around the course getting video of runners cranking out some great performances or who were simply out there having a great time. This race is epic like that. It has a great, friendly vibe to it that makes it a must do, and the course is a blast to run. Glad this event is two days long, as it's fun to volunteer one day and run the other.

And tomorrow it'll be my turn to run. The twitching and sciatic problems in my calf are still there today, but a moderate improvement over yesterday. The good thing is that it's only a problem mostly when I'm at rest. Whenever I'm running or walking around, it's fine. So 50 miles of that tomorrow should be good for it.

Goals and strategy remain the same. I sometimes like to keep these things at least semi-secret, more for fear-of-jinxing purposes, but my approach to tomorrow is pretty relaxed and I don't feel any pressure with anything to prove like I did with MDI and Boston. That being said, the plan is to attempt to break 8-hours, but I also realize that is a reach goal for someone of my ability. I'll ride the shoulders of several friends who are more capable of that time, and hold on for as long as I can without feeling like I'm burning out and risking a DNF. I plan on hydrating and short term fueling liberally with Coke and Mountain Dew, but sticking with healthier foods (fruits and potatoes) for longer burning fuels at the aid stations. I also have Gu and Shot Blocks in my drop bag, and will also regularly take S-Caps. I also have coconut water on hand, which I may fill my hand-held bottle with at times.

At the very least, I anticipate breaking my PR of 8:33:41, which I set on this course back in 2008. I'm in better shape compared to then, and also have fresher legs (In 2008, I paced James at the Massanutten 100 the weekend before, which translated to a 37-mile mountain run). I'll be happy if I at least get a new PR. Looking forward to a good time on the trails tomorrow!